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Culture Documents
Durai Chapter 31
Durai Chapter 31
31 Management in a Virtual
Organization
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
1 Understand the types of virtual organizations
2 List the various models of a virtual workplace
3 Enumerate the types of virtual teams
4 Explain the difference between a virtual and a traditional organization
5 Understand the specialized HR activities required for virtual organizations
6 List the prerequisites for the success of a virtual enterprise
iGATE is a fast-growing virtual company that iGATE has a diversity index of 11 per cent,
provides IT services, business consulting and which is the highest among offshore-services
business process outsourcing to its clients. This providers. The other unique programmes of
internationally renowned company has over 6,600 iGATE that aim to create a world-class human
employees and has bagged quite a few awards for resource system that will suit a global work-
its smart HR practices. For instance, the annual force include the introduction of newer human
DATAQUEST IDC Best Employer Survey adjudged resource frameworks and policies like the tech-
iGATE as India’s top employer. Similarly, a Business nical and behavioural competency framework,
Today–Mercer–TNS cross-industry survey, Best career planning and management process, and
Companies to Work for in India, selected iGATE as competency management system. It also utilizes
the second-best company in India. As an endorse- a “HAP-PSYCAP” model for developing the psy-
ment to its commitment for quality sustenance, chological capital of the company, the “Leaders 2
the company was awarded the highest rating Leaders” (L2L) programme, which is a five-day
of the Capability Maturity Model Integration residential programme to fulfil the develop-
(CMMI) Version 1.2. The renowned annual guide ment needs of the senior members of the orga-
from Brown-Wilson Group, the Black Book of nization globally, and the “Leadership Coaches
Outsourcing, has listed iGATE as one of the “50 Workshop” for developing coaches for the proj-
Best Managed Global Outsourcing Vendors in ect managers. The HR policies and the success
2008”. The HR policies and practices of iGATE of the virtual firm iGATE indicate how these two
focus on the five beliefs collectively called SOARS, are intertwined. We shall now see the various HR
which stands for strength, originality, academic aspects of a virtual organization in this chapter
rigour, relevance, and serenity. in detail.
Introduction
A virtual organization is a new kind of technology-enabled organization formed for the
internationalization of business operations. In virtual workplaces, employees operate at a
remote distance from one another and also from the managers.1 As a modern concept of the
twenty-first century, a virtual organization has established an entirely new kind of relation-
ship among organizations, employees and customers. This new breed of virtual organiza-
tions exists mostly on the Internet without any physical location. It is based on the idea that
an organization, team, individual, product or service need not be physically present even
though it appears to be so. Today, organizations all around the world are spending huge sums
of money on information technology just to develop virtual forms of office. The driving force
behind such initiatives as a virtual workplace is to make organizations more responsive to the
changes in today’s business world.
There will be no physical presence or permanence of workers in such enterprises. Further,
members in this set-up, though geographically divided, work together through computer
technology. The cyberspace provides the platform for the working of virtual organizations.
It is actually an electronic medium for data exchange brought about by the combination of
computer software and telecommunications. In virtual organizations, the members create
flexible linkages among themselves in order to attain common objectives and the teams are
dissolved on the completion of objectives only to reappear in new combinations for other
tasks. In the virtual era, traditional departments, divisions and offices simply disappear, leav-
ing an amorphous mass of people connected electronically and sharing information through
video-conferencing and e-mail, as and when required.2 Virtual organizations are networks of
suppliers and customers who share cost, information skills and markets among themselves.
Overseas call centres and outsourcing, are examples of virtual organizations. However, in
practice, the majority of the virtual organizations are not completely virtual since they still
keep real-world elements like physical offices and do organize face-to-face meetings.
A virtual organization represents the concept of organizational flexibility unrestrained
by the traditional barriers of place and time. It is actually a network of cooperation achieved
through information and communication technology (ICT). In fact, ICT coordinates the
activities of the organization by blending the employee’s skills and the resources suitably in
order to achieve the strategic goals of the organization. We shall see the important definitions
of virtual organizations in Box 31.1.
Box Definitions
31.1
“A virtual company is where work is performed outside customers, even erstwhile rivals—linked by information
of the definition of place. There’s no factory floor, no technology to share skills, cost, and access to one anoth-
retail store, no conference room, no cubicle farm. Virtual er’s market.”5
work is primarily the manufacture, retail, and distribu- —W. M. Fitzpatrick and D. R. Burke
tion of intellectual property.”3
—Jeanne L Allert “Virtual teams are groups of geographically and/or orga-
nizationally dispersed co-workers that are assembled
“A virtual corporation is a temporary network of compa- using a combination of telecommunication and infor-
nies that come together quickly to exploit fast changing mation technologies to accomplish an organizational
opportunities, for example, the making of films.”4 task.”6
—J. Coyle and N. Schnarr —A. M. Townsend et al.
Alliance Organization
The essence of an alliance organization is the horizontal networking among its partners.
It replaces the traditional vertical organization, in which all powers were centralized in a
Displaced
organizations
Types of
Alliance Truly virtual
organizations Virtual organizations
Organizations
Invisible
organizations
Figure 31.1
Types of Virtual Organizations
single organization and the employees just executed the orders. In case of the alliance type
of virtual organization, each partner (an independent organization) linked with the vir-
tual organization performs different but related activities. In fact, the core competencies
of the partners are combined to produce synergy effect for the virtual organization. For
instance, the marketing aspects can be carried out by the virtual organization, while product
manufacturing or assembling, and delivery can be done by its partners.
Displaced Organization
In a displaced organization, the individual members are geographically dispersed but
connected by information technology. However, the physical separation of members is
usually not known to the outsiders, who perceive them as a single unit. Teleconferencing,
video-conferencing, e-mail and other modes enable the virtual organizations to make the
customers believe that all the employees are functioning from the same office. Many software
and investment companies are adopting this style of operation in which employee dislocation
is not known to the customers. For instance, internationally, a virtual shift system may oper-
ate when different teams around the globe deal with the same project at different times, each
group leaving progress reports for the next team in another place to continue as it concludes
its working day.9 Foreign institutional investors (FIIs), who operate in different securities
market around the world, are similar to displaced organizations.
Invisible Organization
An invisible organization will not have a physical structure as such, except that a small place
will be used as an office for a few employees. The primary duty of these employees is to attend
to the phone calls of the customers in need of the goods or services offered by this kind of
virtual organization. The products of such an organization are mostly virtual and directly
downloadable from computer. It uses telephones as its primary tool to exchange information
with the customers. BSNL Hungama portal is similar to this type of virtual organization. This
type of organization keeps no visible high-street branches but operates through a network of
call centres and back offices.
Virtual Workplace
Models
Telecommuting
Front-line model Cyber-link model
model
Figure 31.2
Models of Virtual Workplaces
organizations. These are the (i) telecommuting, (ii) front-line and (iii) cyber-link models.10
We shall now see these virtual workplaces in detail.
Telecommuting Model
In the telecommuting model, employees often perform work from their home and remain
away from the office. The organizations can have formal or informal arrangements to facili-
tate the employees’ skipping office and working from home. A virtual employee of this nature
need not attend office for a specified number of days in a week. Depending upon its poli-
cies and facilities, the organization may choose any number of employees as telecommuters.
However, in reality, it normally permits the senior employees to be telecommuters so that
they can save their precious time for performing the job.
The telecommuting model of a virtual workplace has its own merits and challenges.
Telecommuting is capable of (i) eliminating or reducing the office space requirements,
(ii) saving the time and cost of commuting by the employees to and from the office,
(iii) ensuring the best work–life balance for employees, and (iv) helping the special cases
among employees, like women employees during pre- and post-natal stages. However, it also
has several challenges to surmount. These are:
• Unlike traditional organizations, setting performance standards for employees in
measurable standards is difficult. The evaluation of employee progress in work and in
quality of performance and the extent of goal accomplishments may pose challenge to
the management of virtual organizations.
• Team unity may become a casualty of telecommuting workplaces. The organizations
may find it difficult to coordinate the activities of the employees, who may perform
their work at their own convenient time.
• Organizations may not be sure about the statutory and non-statutory rights and duties
of the telecommuters and the organization. This may cause confusion in labour issues
concerning the telecommuting employees.
• Determining the criteria for identifying employees to be covered under telecommuting
may become a contentious issue for the organization, affecting the cordiality between
employer and employee and also between employee and employee.
• The development and maintenance of dedicated channels of communication may
also be a challenge in a telecommuting workplace. The organization needs to ensure a
hassle-free operation of the electronic instruments on a sustained basis.
Cyber-link Model
In this model, the team of producers, suppliers and customers is networked through cyber-
space and works collectively and collaboratively towards the achievement of common goals
like creating a product or service. The primary purpose of this model is to ensure complete
client satisfaction and get repeat orders. Thus, this model works towards long-term coop-
eration between the virtual organization and its clients. However, in the cyber-link model,
the teams are formed for achieving specific goals or missions. Once a goal is achieved, the
team is dissolved and the members of the team may form new teams with new or existing
members to carry out the next goal. An important prerequisite for the success of this model
is the complete revamping of the culture and work system.11 The major strengths of this
method are (i) a goal-driven approach and faster execution of work; (ii) the empowerment
of employees as they decide their teams; (iii) an effective communication among employees;
(iv) self-directed teams that enhance involvement and motivation; and (v) IT-based informa-
tion sharing that facilitates shifts in duties and responsibilities of employees.12
Project Team
A project team is formed to complete specific and time-bound projects. Its duration usually
depends on the length of the project. Depending upon the specific requirements of the proj-
ect, its composition is decided. Again, depending upon the skills required for the perfor-
mance of different modules as part of the project, sub-groups can also be formed to complete
specific tasks or modules as part of the project. When the project team functions as several
sub-groups, it becomes essential for the team members to have periodic meetings to plan
and synchronize the various activities of the project. The project team, if necessary, can enlist
the services of other employees of the organization who may not be part of the project team.
Service Team
The primary purpose of forming a service team is to attend to the specific problems of the
clients. The expertise of the service team may be available to clients across a number of
organizations, places and countries. As such, the talent pool of the service team may not
be organization- or location-specific. Rather, a service team is generally capable of providing
expert advice to several organizations located in several countries. Online information
technology support provided to client organizations is a typical task of service teams.
A major characteristic of a service team is that it is need-based and therefore avoids work-
ing on a continuous basis. When a problem is reported from a client organization, a service
Service teams
Types of
Virtual Teams
Figure 31.3
Types of Virtual Teams
team is formed and entrusted with the responsibility of resolving the problem. Once the
problem is sorted out, the service team is promptly dissolved only to be reassembled for
the next client’s problem.
Process Team
A process team is formed when the organization aims at evolving a continuous response to
a long-term challenge of a business. Since the time and duration of the challenge cannot be
predetermined, this kind of team usually functions for an undefined period. Its member-
ship is dynamic and flexible as it works for an indefinite period. The nature and type of
interaction among the team members usually depend on the objective of the process team.
The managerial teams formed to devise strategies for expanding the business operation
in the market continually are examples of process team. The goal of a process team is not
time-specific, and thus it may function as long as market expansion remains the objective
of the organization.
Virtual organizations do not usually have any Traditional organizations have physical exis-
physical presence or permanence. tence and permanence like real-world offices
and continuity in their operations.
There is no face-to-face communication among There exists physical contact and face-to-face
the members in completely virtual organiza- communication among the employees.
tions. They rely on electronic communication
to share information.
The membership is dynamic in nature, with The membership tenure is normally stable and
members joining and leaving the organization independent of the completion of a specific
when their roles begin and end. project or work.
Virtual organizations keep a flatter hierarchy Traditional organizations maintain a verti-
and insist on voluntary commitment from their cal hierarchy and follow an imposed discipline
members and on self-discipline. system.
Performance evaluation and work control are They are actual and simple.
virtual and difficult.
The HR department is usually web-based and It is physical and built on personnel
built on partnership. management.
Statutory HR practices governing the function- They are well-established with proven
ing of employees are not clear and effective, but effectiveness.
evolving.
Leadership and control are self-managed. They are based on external command and
control.
The employees’ skills and knowledge are usu- They are usually developed through real train-
ally developed through the e-learning process. ing and development programmes.
The power of employees depends on their role It depends upon the positions occupied by the
in business process. employees in the hierarchy.
interdependence14 make them different from the traditional organizations. Dispersion may
mean the scattered location of the employees of the organization; empowerment refers to
enhanced and independent authority and responsibility for employees; restlessness refers
to continuous changes in the organizational practices, policies and team characteristics;
and interdependence refers to the networking and interdependence of the employees for
goal accomplishment. Table 31.1 lists the primary differences between a virtual and a
traditional organization.
communication tools. They work together to achieve the purposes of time-bound projects.
Obviously, the selection, training, management, and assessment of the performance of mem-
bers of virtual organizations pose new challenges to HR professionals and call for a newer
understanding of the different dimensions of people and their problems.
“Truly virtual organizations create new problems for human resource management.
A networked company does not require a personnel function but its core management must be
adept in managing people at a distance, some of whom may not be ‘employees’ as such. They are
true ’human resource managers’.”15 The HR managers in virtual organizations have to effect
transformations in skill, team working, identification and empowerment. While performing
the HR activities, they need to be more
• Strategic: The HR managers should emerge as strategic business partners and involve
themselves in the strategic planning process of the virtual organizations.
• Flexible: They must possess adequate skills in change management. Since changes are
quite common in virtual organizations, they must keep the HR policies and practices
dynamic, fluid and receptive to changes.
• Cost-efficient: The HR managers must be able to prioritize the HR activities of the
organization from the cost perspective. They must learn to perform the HR func-
tions in a cost-effective manner. The major cost component of a virtual organization is
labour cost. This is because any saving in HR cost achieved by HR managers can bring
down the overall cost of the organization substantially.
• Customer-oriented: The HR managers must keep a critical focus on customer need
satisfaction while framing HR policies and practices. Since virtual organizations are
customer-dependent, the HR managers must provide excellent support and service to
the managers and employees in their quest to fulfil the needs and expectations of the
customers effectively.16
E-HRM
The performance of HR functions through information technology is the essence of several
of the definitions of e-HRM. We shall now see some of these definitions in Box 31.2.
Box Definitions
31.2
“E-HRM may be defined as a network-based structure in a two-fold manner, i.e. as a medium with the aim of
built on partnerships and typically mediated by infor- connection and integration.”18
mation technologies to help the organisation acquire, —S. Strohmeier
develop, and deploy intellectual capital.”17
—D. P. Lepak and S. A. Snell “E-Human resource management is defined as a way
of implementing HR strategies, policies, and practices
“E-HRM means planning, implementation and applica- in organisations through a conscious and directed sup-
tion of information technology for both networking and port of and/or with the full use of web-technology-
supporting at least two individual or collective actors based channels. E-HRM is as concept a way of ‘doing
in their shared performing of HR activities. Crucial HRM’. ”19
aspects of e-HRM: the use of information technology —H. Ruël, T. Bondarouk and J. K. Looise
We may define e-HRM as a system concerned with HR policies and practices that ensure
the best utilization of human resources, which work in a web-based environment towards the
fulfilment of common goals.
of a virtual organization also include activities like live workshops, virtual discussion and
conferences, simulation, e-assessment, and e-mentoring (like coaching and e-mail exchanges)
through electronic mode.21
The HR department must be sensitive to the special needs of the virtual employees
and should have necessary provisions in the training system. For instance, the training
must be so designed as to enable the employees to plan, prioritize and schedule their
activities on their own with little external guidance. Besides, the emphasis on training in
virtual organizations should be not only on the skills and knowledge of development but
also on sharing them among the employees. In the course of training, the HR department
must identify the competencies of the employee and ensure that these competencies are
shared among other members.22 Employees of virtual organizations should also be taught
about the distinct practices to be followed while working from home. The practices may
include, among others, techniques of time management, office organization at home, and
child caring.
Compensation
The reward system should be distinct and appropriate for virtual organizations, where
employees are judged only by results. Unlike in the traditional organizations, the compensa-
tion packages of virtual organizations should consider the flexibility and goal achievement
ability of the employees. In this regard, the organization can adopt a ‘person-based’ system
for determining the compensation of each employee. As such, this type of compensation
model primarily considers the job holder as the unit of analysis and not the job.23 Obviously,
the focus of compensation in virtual organizations should be on compensating the skills,
knowledge and ability of the virtual employees.
Performance Evaluation
Since there is no face-to-face contact between the superiors and the subordinates in virtual
organizations, the HR department must depend only on the end results produced by the
virtual employees for performance measurement. It must have clear performance objec-
tives and criteria for evaluating the virtual employees. It must set measurable standards for
performance evaluation. The performance standards may be expressed in terms of quality
standards, goal accomplishment and speed of performance. The HR department may use
electronic modes of communication like e-mail, telephone and fax for conducting evaluation
and sharing the results. Similarly, the performance evaluators, like the supervisors, must pos-
sess an adequate technical knowledge about the employee to be evaluated by them. In case
the supervisor does not have adequate technical competency to evaluate the subordinates,
the performance evaluation might not be effective and justifiable.
Communication
Virtual employees should be encouraged to increase their level of explicit communication
so that their grievances are recognized expeditiously and addressed appropriately. The HR
managers can implement “communication training” programmes for virtual employees
to enhance trust and understanding. In virtual organizations, the employees would also
be missing face-to-face informal communication like grapevine with their superiors and
co-employees.24 In this regard, the HR department must ensure that the information channels
Control Process
Virtual organizations call for new kinds of control process that ensure greater involvement
of employees and self-imposed discipline. As part of the control process, the organization
must first set scientific performance standards, then measure actual performance critically,
and finally compare the actual performance with the standard performance. In case of per-
formance deficiency, the HR department can organize skills acquisition trainings. Through
training and counselling, the HR managers can also enhance the individual’s feeling of self-
efficacy and the proactive approach necessary for success in virtual work programmes. The
employees can also be trained to structure their behaviour and work by keeping to-do lists
and developing routines.
Coordination
Since virtual teams are mostly involved in team-based activities, coordination among the
team members is critical. It is critical to the success of the organization, and the HR depart-
ment must ensure that the electronic media are optimally used to enhance the coordination
among the employees.
In addition to the usual HR functions, HR managers need to put in special efforts that
can enhance the perception of social support which may prove to be helpful in reducing
negative fall-outs of jobs such as work and non-work conflict, job stress and monotony.
Box 31.3 outlines an example of the HR practices of virtual organizations.
Virtual companies, which are the new breed of The HR policies of Amazon.com offer several benefits
traditional business enterprises, are fast emerging as to its employees. Some of them are medical plans to meet
the powerhouses of global economy. These virtual com- individual needs with ‘in-network’ and ‘out-of-network’
panies require new kinds of organizational strategies options, company-paid short- and long-term disabil-
and structures. Many virtual companies have designed ity plans, vision plans, dental plans, healthcare and
and developed highly imaginative HR policies that dependent-care flexible spending accounts, Amazon.
best suit their organizational requirements and condi- com-restricted stock units for every full-time Amazon.
tions. The case of Amazon.com, a virtual firm, is worth com employee, general employee discount programmes
mentioning here. and employee assistance programmes, including depen-
Amazon.com is an internationally well-known dent-care referral services and financial/legal services.
e-commerce company. It is one of the Fortune 500 com- Depending upon the level and position offered to the
panies and also the world’s biggest online retailer. As employees, relocation assistance and allowances are pro-
a virtual company, it offers a wide variety of products vided to the employees. These include, among others,
ranging from books and electronic goods to diamonds packing and unpacking of the personal goods and car;
and toys. The company offers products through interna- fully furnished, temporary housing, which also includes
tional sites and a world-wide network of fulfilment and maid service, utilities, and parking; and rental or real-
customer services centres. It also provides an e-com- estate tours to assist the employees in finding a new
merce platform to other retailers and to individual sell- residence.
ers to market their products. Currently, it employs more Adapted from: www.amazon.com/Benefits-Careers-
than 20,000 people throughout the world. Homepage/b?ie=UTF8&node=23936901.1 -
Faster Response
Virtual organizations save time as they are able to respond quickly to customer requests, and
to process or present information in the desired form.
Round-the-clock Service
Virtual organizations facilitate the distribution of work across time zones. This makes them
work for nearly 24 hours a day.
Customer-driven
Virtual organizations are mostly customer-dependent and -driven enterprises. As such, there
is a greater emphasis on enhancing customer satisfaction and getting repeat business.
Competitive Edge
Organizations adopt virtual working as part of a long-term strategy to transform the entire
business processes eventually in order to face the intensified national and international com-
petitive challenges.
Technology-related Problems
When there is a mechanical or technological failure while performing a piece of work, it may
not be possible to make alternate arrangements immediately. In such a situation, the work
may get affected and there could also be deadline problems for the individual employees and
the organization both.
Limited Application
Virtual organizations are not suitable for all types of business operations. As such, they have
very limited utilities and are mostly confined to the creation of virtual products and services.
Summary
1. A virtual corporation is a temporary network of cyberspace and works collectively and collabora-
companies that come together quickly to exploit tively towards the achievement of common goals.
fast changing opportunities.
11. The three important types of virtual team seen
2. The kinds of virtual organization are alliance orga- in virtual organizations are (i) project teams,
nizations, displaced organizations, invisible organi- (ii) service teams and (iii) process teams.
zations and truly virtual organizations.
12. A project team is formed to complete specific and
3. An alliance organization means horizontal time-bound projects. A service team is formed to
networking among its partners who perform attend to the specific problems of the clients across
different but related activities. a number of organizations, places and countries.
A process team is formed when the organization
4. In a displaced organization, the physical separation aims at evolving a continuous response to a long-
of employees is not known to the outsiders, who term challenge of a business.
perceive them as a single unit.
13. E-HRM may be defined as a system concerned
5. An invisible organization will not have a physical with HR policies and practices that ensure the
structure except for a small place to house a few best utilization of human resources that work in a
employees who attend to the phone calls of the Web-based environment towards the fulfilment of
customers in need of its goods or services. common goals.
6. A truly virtual organization is a mixture of the 14. The benefits of a virtual organization are the absence
characteristics of alliance, displaced and invisible of a distance barrier, reduction of overhead costs, a
organizations. faster response, savings in space cost, round-the-clock
service, better managerial efficiency, customer-driven
7. The three popular models of virtual workplace enterprise, precise performance measurement, a com-
available in virtual organizations are (i) telecom- petitive edge, exploiting labour market imbalance,
muting, (ii) front-line and (iii) cyber-link. avoiding man-hour losses, reduced work stress and
8. In the telecommuting model, employees often fatigue, and maintaining work–life balance.
perform work from their home and remain away 15. The limitations of virtual organizations are the
from the office. absence of managerial control, technology-related
9. In the front-line model, the employees perform problems, the misuse of the electronic instruments
their work from the client’s workplace or site. and consumables of the organization, limited appli-
cation, a high maintenance cost, aloofness and
10. In the cyber-link model, the team of producers, job boredom, and the absence of involvement and
suppliers and customers is networked through commitment.
Review Questions
Essay-type questions
1. Examine the various kinds of virtual organizations 2. Delineate the various models of virtual workplace
using examples. using suitable examples.
3. Illustrate the different types of virtual teams using 5. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a virtual
relevant examples. organization.
6. Enumerate the challenges faced by the virtual orga-
4. Evaluate critically the specialized HR functions nizations in India and suggest measures for improv-
required for virtual organizations. ing their efficacy.
Skill-development Exercise
Objective – The objective of this exercise is to show the HR department to design a new compensation pack-
you how to develop a compensation package for virtual age which is not only cost-effective but also sufficiently
employees in a cost-effective way. attractive to retain the virtual teams comprising experts
with cross-functional skills and knowledge. Thus, the HR
Procedure Note – The class is split up into groups. Each
manager set on the mission of developing a new compen-
group has (1) an HR manager, (2) two HR team members,
sation package for the virtual employees.
(3) a job evaluator, (4) two employee representatives, and
(5) two observers of the meetings. The role of the observ- Steps in the exercise
ers is to observe the various aspects of the role-playing
sessions and report on them. There are four steps in the exercise:
Case Study
Inno-fast is a global software solution provider engaged market share, thanks to the popularity of the management
in IT services, consulting and process outsourcing. The of its parent company and its brand image.
company aims at providing integrated technology and
operations solutions to its clients at their doorsteps. A year ago, Immanuo International deputed 20 of its
It plans to focus on business process improvement, greater employees for the managerial cadres in the just-started
operational efficiency, better productivity and improved Inno-fast to groom the new business. Ms Anita Gupta,
response time. It is a subsidiary of one of the leading the HR manager of Immanuo International, was also sent
home-appliance makers of India, Immanuo International. to this subsidiary company to look after its HR functions.
Although it is a relatively new entrant to the software The first task assigned to this young and talented HR
industry, the company is confident of winning a sizable manager was to form a virtual team with cross-functional
diversity to work with the clients and from remote places. the reason for the high number of resignation requests,
The team was expected to develop solutions for the cli- which, if allowed, might cause high labour turnover.
ents’ technology-related problems and requirements. The
An enquiry within the organization and observations
top management of Inno-fast insisted that the HR man-
revealed that the employees who submitted their resigna-
ager complete the process fast because many companies
tions had not fostered any loyalty towards their organi-
expressed keen interest in availing its services.
zation and had very little sense of belonging. This could
Ms Anita Gupta began her work in right earnest and opted be due to the fact that they were mostly away from their
for e-recruitment. She conducted targeted and focused office, performing their work from remote places, and had
recruitment campaigns. She also obtained the services of no continuous social contact with their colleagues and the
external agencies in recruiting the employees. As part of company. To add to this woe, the virtual employees were
the e-recruitment drive, she communicated the require- also facing problems of job boredom and aloofness in their
ments of the organization to the job market, sourced and work. The rivals in the industry have exploited the situation
processed the applicants through an applicant tracking and were attempting to lure the employees to their fold.
system and selected 42 employees, including 20 freshers, Now, the management is of the view that the training pro-
to form a virtual team. The selected employees were then grammes designed by the HR manager and based on the
brought together for intensive skills acquisition training. traditional module are not working well with the virtual
The skills acquisition level of the virtual team was found employees. As such, something more than training was
to be satisfactory in the post-training assessment. The required to retain these employees and also for persuad-
members also gelled well as a team and found their train- ing the leaving employees to take back their resignation
ing fruitful. The HR manager was appreciated for forming letters. Although the management has not doubted the
the team within such a short span of time and training its efficiency of the HR manager, it was disappointed with
members well. the result of her operations.
Inno-fast launched its full-fledged business operations Questions for discussion
and began to send the team members to different client
sites for developing solutions for their IT requirements 1. What is your general assessment of the situation
and problems. The operations of the company progressed prevailing at Inno-fast?
smoothly and the clients expressed their satisfaction.
2. According to you, who should be held responsible for
However, this trend did not last for long as, after a year,
the situation prevailing in this company and why?
the company witnessed a gradual increase in the resig-
nations submitted by the new employees. The company 3. If you had been the HR manager, what would you
was puzzled about the sudden increase in exits. The top have done earlier and what would you do now to
management instructed the HR manager to identify overcome the problem?
Notes
8. Robert Bradt, “Virtual Organizations: A Simple 18. S. Strohmeier, “Research in e-HRM: Review and
Taxonomy,” (1998), available at http://www. Implications,” Human Resource Management
infothink.com. Review, 17, no. 1 (2007): 19–37.
9. Robert Bradt, “Virtual Organizations: A Simple 19. Huub Ruë Tanya Bondarouk and Jan Kees Looise,
Taxonomy,” (1998), available at http://www. “E-HRM: Innovation or Irritation—An Explorative
infothink.com. Empirical Study in Five Large Companies on Web-
based HRM,” Management Review 15, no. 3 (2004):
10. Robert L. Heneman and David B. Greenberger
364–380.
(eds), Human Resource Management in Virtual
Organizations (Greenwich, CT: IAP, 2002), p. 34. 20. Laurel Alexander, Online Training: The New Age
Training Method (Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House,
11. Robert L. Heneman and David B. Greenberger
2007), p. 26.
(eds), Human Resource Management in Virtual
Organizations (Greenwich, CT: IAP, 2002), p. 34. 21. Laurel Alexander, Online Training: The New Age
Training Method (Mumbai: Jaico Publishing House,
12. N. F. Crandall and M. J. Wallace, Work and Rewards
2007), p. 81.
in the Virtual Workplace (New York: American
Management Association, 1998). 22. R. A. Noe and M. J. Simmering, “Training and
Development in Virtual Organizations,” in Robert L.
13. Abigail Edwards and John R. Wilson, Implementing
Heneman and David B. Greenberger (eds), Human
Virtual Teams: A Guide to Organizational and
Resource Management in Virtual Organizations
Human Factors (Burlington, VT: Gower Publishing
(Greenwich, CT: IAP, 2002), pp. 179–216.
Ltd, 2004), pp. 6–7.
23. Pieter Grobler, Surette Warnich, Michael R. Carrell,
14. Impact-programme, “Exploiting the Wired-Up
Norbert F. Elbert and Robert D. Hatfield, Human
World—Best Practice in Managing Virtual
Resource Management in South Africa, 3rd ed.
Organizations,” The Report of Working group 4 of
(London: Thomson Learning, 2006).
project ARCHIVE (1998), available at http://www.
archive.ch (1.9.2001). 24. Robert L. Heneman and David B. Greenberger
(eds), Human Resource Management in Virtual
15. R. Thomson and C. Mabey, Developing Human
Organizations (Greenwich, CT: IAP, 2002), p. 39.
Resources (London: Butterworth-Heinemann,
1994), p. 5. 25. S. L. Goldman, R. N. Nagel and K. Preiss, Agile
Competitors and Virtual Organizations: Strategies
16. Robert L. Heneman and David B. Greenberger
for Enriching the Customer (New York, NY: Van
(eds), Human Resource Management in Virtual
Nostrand Reinhold, 1995).
Organizations (Greenwich, CT: IAP, 2002), p. 83.
26. W. H. Davidow, and M. S. Malone, The Virtual
17. D. P. Lepak and S. A. Snell, “Virtual HR: Strategic
Corporation: Structuring and Revitalizing the
Human Resource Management in the 21st Century,”
Corporation for the 21st Century (New York, NY:
Human Resource Management Review, 8, no. 3
Harper Collins, 1992).
(1998): 215.